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The William T. Grant Foundation and the Spencer Foundation are pleased to announce four new Rapid Response Research Grants to support collaborations between researchers and policymakers, with the central goal of reducing inequality in youth outcomes in the United States.
The Foundation developed the Rapid Response Research Grants program in 2017 to foster agile uses of research to respond to the needs of young people growing up in an uncertain and turbulent social climate. The grants build on an emerging or established relationship between a research institution and a public agency or nonprofit organization to produce and use research in an effort to improve the lives of young people when there is a clear policy window. Researchers commit to synthesizing the relevant literature within an abbreviated timeframe of six to eight weeks, and both the policy and research partners develop an engagement plan to ensure that the research yields action. The swift, systematic review of existing research is jointly designed by both partners to ensure that the questions guiding the synthesis are responsive to real information needs of decision makers.
In a moment of increased hostility toward immigrant children and their families, three of the four grants will review and use research to inform policy on behalf of this group. The first grant will bring together the Institute for Equity in Child Opportunity and Healthy Development, the Center for Poverty and Social Policy, and Children’s Health Watch to review and collate evidence to inform efforts to expand the inclusion of children in immigrant families in state-level tax credits. The second will support a collaboration between researchers at the University of Connecticut and the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration to identify institutional policies and practices to mitigate disruptions in the educational pathways of undocumented or students. In the third, William T. Grant Scholar Sophia Rodriguez will partner with the National Immigration Law Center to examine the consequences of undoing the constitutional rights protected by Plyler v. Doe for undocumented students. The fourth grant will support a collaboration between the Education Law Center, Research for Action, and Evidence Use in Action to study the role of the U.S. Department of Education in delivering educational opportunity.
“Collaborations between research and policy partners—like the ones forged by these grantees—have a critical role to play in advancing policies that can reduce inequality in youth outcomes. We are proud to support these four grantees as they put research to action to address some of the most pressing challenges facing young people today,” said Adam Gamoran, president of the William T. Grant Foundation.
“We are pleased to support these rapid response grants, which address urgent challenges facing the nation’s young people during a period of profound instability, particularly for immigrant families. These research syntheses have the potential to strengthen the evidence base for policies that better protect and serve children.” said Na’ilah Nasir, president of the Spencer Foundation.
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The Institute for Equity in Child Opportunity & Healthy Development (IECOHD), the Center for Poverty and Social Policy, and Children’s Health Watch seek to leverage a policy window to extend public benefit eligibility requirements to immigrant families.
Immigrant Inclusion in the U.S. Tax and Transfer System: Reviewing Evidence to Inform State Policy Action
Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, Stephanie Ettinger De Cuba, Pamela K. Joshi, Boston University; Christopher Wimer, Columbia University
The well-being of children in immigrant families, who account for more than one quarter of the U.S. child population, is currently threatened by exclusionary policies that weaken economic, health, and social safety nets. And while the federal administration and some states are restricting access and making it risky for immigrant families to claim tax credits, community-based advocates and an emerging policy window in Massachusetts offer an opportunity to advance a tax credit system that is ready and accessible for immigrant families. With this grant, The Institute for Equity in Child Opportunity & Healthy Development (IECOHD) at the Boston University School of Social Work, and the Center on Poverty and Social Policy (CPSP) at the Columbia University School of Social Work are partnering with Children’s HealthWatch to review and collate evidence to inform efforts to expand the inclusion of children in immigrant families in state-level tax credits. The evidence review will evaluate three key themes: 1) effectiveness of tax credits on improving child outcomes and positive effects of including children in immigrant families, 2) state-level support for inclusive tax credits, and 3) outreach and administrative systems to facilitate claiming tax credits. HealthWatch will lead the development and deployment of an evidence-based advocacy strategy to build support for the expansion of the Massachusetts Earned Income Tax Credit and Child and Family Tax Credit. Key strategies include testifying, creating accessible one-pagers about the impact of tax credit expansions on immigrant children and families, cultivating legislative champions, and holding educational meetings.
The Education Law Center, Research for Action, and Evidence Use in Action will partner to examine what role the U.S. Department of Education has played in the delivery of education opportunity.
How Federal K-12 Education Programs May Reduce Inequality and Improve Student Outcomes
Robert Kim and Danielle Farrie, Education Law Center; Cara Jackson, Evidence Use in Education; Alyn Turner, Research for Action
The Trump administration has proposed eliminating the U.S. Department of Education (USED), arguing that federal investments in public schools have failed. While potentially detrimental to all students, removing the USED is doubly threatening to English learners, migrant students, and students with disabilities because of programmatic funding and support designed for these students. This rapid-response research grant will review relevant research to inform a rebuttal and articulate the goals and roles of federally funded programs and the extent to which national programs such as Title I, IDEA, and Title III are successful in reducing inequality. The Education Law Center (ELC), a national nonprofit that uses litigation, research, strategic partnerships, and advocacy to advance safe and just learning environments for all students, will partner with Research for Action and Evidence Use in Action. The partnership aims to influence key decision makers to protect education programs that have a research-supported impact of reducing educational inequalities, and to encourage programs are implemented in a manner that maximizes impact. Key research products include a memo describing how USED staffing and infrastructure affect education opportunity and a research synthesis of Title 1, IDEA, and Title III program outcomes. ELC will then use these products to inform a full policy brief, a social media toolkit, including short videos, and a PowerPoint presentation that they will use at strategic webinars and congressional briefings. To facilitate deeper learning, all three partners will engage in field-oriented feedback sessions to further sharpen the advocacy tools.
A team at the University of Connecticut will collaborate with the President’s Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration to identify institutional policies and practices to mitigate disruptions in the educational pathways of undocumented or students.
Uninterrupted Higher Education: Identifying Approaches to Supporting Students with Precarious Immigration Statuses
H. Kenny Nienhusser, Milagros Castillo-Montoya, Jillian Ives, Adam McCready, Saran Stewart, and Frank Tuitt, University of Connecticut
Students who are enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities and do not hold U.S. citizenship or permanent residency are vulnerable to shifts in federal policies. Recent mass deportations of undocumented migrants, revoking previously afforded protections, revoking visas of some international students, and the threatened elimination of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program have significantly impacted undocumented communities. Undocumented students may also face additional barriers such as hostile sociopolitical climates, cultural and academic adjustment, and navigating life at U.S. institutions. With leadership from Nienhusser, a team from the University of Connecticut will partner with the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration to identify institutional policies and practices to mitigate disruptions in the educational pathways of undocumented students or students with precarious immigration statuses. Nienhusser and colleagues are rapidly synthesizing research and policies to ensure institutions can minimize disruptions, implement supportive student-centered policies and practices, and maintain strong persistence and graduation rates for these students and their institutions. This research will guide the development of a suite of resources about campus preparedness plans, which will be disseminated through webinars, campus visits, and at Alliance meetings.
Sophia Rodriguez will partner with the National Immigration Law Center to examine the consequences of undoing the constitutional rights protected by Plyler v. Doe for undocumented students.
Assessing the Impacts of Plyler v. Doe on Immigrant Students
Sophia Rodriguez, New York University; Subha Varadarajan, National Immigration Law Center
The economic, social, and educational opportunities of undocumented and unaccompanied youth are at risk given threats to the Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe, which provides access to K-12 education regardless of immigration status. Actions range from bills that require undocumented children to pay tuition to attend K-12 public schools to states and districts requiring families to declare a child’s immigration status when they register for school to cooperating with immigrant enforcement agencies. In partnership with the National Immigration Law Center (NILC), Rodriguez will review research relevant to the educational, health, and mental impacts of Plyler on immigrant students to demonstrate the consequences of an education for immigrants and the extent to which those who completed their education contributed to the nation’s social and economic well-being. They will also explore patterns around school resource officers’ engagement with immigration enforcement. The partnership aims to deepen policymakers’ and advocates’ understanding of the benefits of Plyler to students, and the potential consequences of overturning Plyler for students, school funding, and broader public economic goals. Research findings will inform an amicus brief that NILC intends to file, legislative testimony, the development of fact sheets, and letters to related coalitions like Education for All Campaign. Findings regarding school resource officers’ engagement with immigration enforcement will be incorporated into NILC’s broader efforts regarding state policy and NILC’s campaigns to minimize police regimes in schools.
